


Ghosts That We Knew

by PhysicsIsMagic



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 01, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Torture, Thea on the Gambit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-09 11:17:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19886725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhysicsIsMagic/pseuds/PhysicsIsMagic
Summary: Thea Queen wasn't going to let her brother leave her behind on what was meant to be the trip of a lifetime but she soon comes to regret her decision. The boat sinks and she finds herself suffering through five years of hell.Five years later she returns to Starling City alongside her brother to carry out their Father's final wish and help save the city he failed all those years ago and unravel the conspiracy threatening to destroy the city they swore to save.AU Season 1 of Arrow.





	1. Return Of Those Lost

**. Ghosts That We Knew .**

Thea Queen runs through the harsh jungle of Lian Yu, away from Kovar and away from all the ghosts they'd be leaving behind. She's sprinting, desperately racing towards the shore alongside her brother in a desperate bid to make it to the sandy beach of Lian Yu in time - it's their one chance at making it home. Their one shot.

And she's terrified they'll miss it.

She grimaces and fights to ignore the pain rippling through her body as the island pulls her back as branches nip and tear and scratch her skin whilst she runs through the overgrowth. She didn't let it slow her down, she wouldn't, pain is one of the things she's learnt to deal with and ignore over the past five years. A few nicks and scratches were nothing compared to what she'd been through, what the both of them had been through - burns and cuts and bullet wounds were permanently etched into her skin as scars. Those injuries had all taught her that pain was a message that you could choose to ignore and she was ignoring it right now as she ran.

Oliver looks back towards her from where he's running ahead, a rare smile playing at his lips as he gestures for her to hurry up. "Keep up Speedy," He teases from ahead, his tone a contrast to the one he'd had for the past year.

She hopes it sticks around.

They climb up the rocky face of one of Lian Yu's hills, it's the perfect vantage point for them to overlook the shore and look out for the fishing boat. Their ticket home. It's the same shore they washed up on all those years ago, two scared kids with no idea of the hell that awaited them - now it was going to be the shore that sends them home.

A small brown spot in the distance, a speck of brown amongst the blue sea surrounding the island. The rickety fishing boat is there, it's there and they're going to be going home. She prays that their light show will be enough, that the men Anatoli paid off will have done their jobs right - they have to notice them. They need to.

Oliver picks up the bow and loads in an arrow, scraping the unique arrowhead along the stone until it sparks. Embers spark and fly away from it and as the seconds drag on she starts to worry that it isn't going to spark, that this will be it and they'll be condemned to another five years of hell - that this is the punishment for what they've done.

But then it sparks, it sparks and Oliver fires - the arrow landing dead centre in the heart of the bonfire. It burst to life, flames engulfing the pile of dead bush and wood they'd built the night before and she watches as it grows - the smoke rising and billowing into the sky.

The fishermen couldn't possibly miss this.

"Always a flair for the dramatics," She teases with a small smile. "Ready to go home?"

He nods and returns the smile, pulling up his hood and readying himself for the next part.

The two wait for the boat to turn towards the shore and watch as it approaches, it's then that they jump down from the ledge and fun for the beach. Run towards their would be saviours, she follows behind Oliver as he runs down from the ledge and towards where the fishermen are pulling up at the sand. The heat from the bonfire burns and she eyes up the small monument to the right of them, a mask with an arrow through it's eye - Slade's mask. Her face contorts for a second as the thought of their former friend hits her, as she thinks about what happened to them and the debt she owes him.

She can only hope that whatever happened to him was quick, he deserved that much.

The sound of the men shouting in Mandarin brings her back to the present and she finds herself kneeling down next to Oliver, he's pulled his hood down and revealed his face to them although she doubts they recognise it now. It's covered in dirt, branches and leaves and the beard adds years on whilst she is nothing like the twelve year old girl in the missing posters - not that it matters now, the men gesture for the pair of them to follow and let them onto their boat - shooting them both questions in broken English and seemingly surprised when they answer in Mandarin.

Who are they?

What are they doing here?

Where are they from?

What happened to them?

She didn't answer the final question, there was too much to say and so instead she shakes her head and pulls the blanket they've given her closer. Allowing the heavy fabric to wrap around her and provide some kind of comfort. The men wait for a second eyeing up their new company before the elder of the two nods at the younger and tells him to make way before telling them that he'll take them to Hong Kong.

She smiles and murmurs her thanks whilst her brother does the same.

They're finally on their way.

.

Thea Queen hates boats, which isn't surprising given her history with them; The Gambit, The Freighter and whatever boat had pulled her from the North China Sea. Being on one again has her on full alert, her muscles are tense and she can feel the adrenaline pumping around her body. Oliver's voice helps ground her, helps her focus on something other than the panic inside her because she is panicking. She's so close, they both are and every time over the past five godforsaken years she's come close to a happy ending - something good happening, something terrible has happened and ruined it.

And she's terrified that's going to happen again.

"It's strange," He murmurs, "Seeing the island from a distance like this, it always felt so big. It looks small now, smaller than I'd imagined."

She thinks for a second, turning her attention to the island in front of them and nods in agreement. "Neither of us really had a chance to look at it last time, not that we chose to leave then." Water and fire had torn them apart as the Amazo had sunk, she'd been pulled one way whilst Oliver had been pulled another way. It meant that it had been a year before she could see him again.

At least this time they were leaving together.

"At least this time we know where we're going...we're going home." She murmurs, allowing hope to sink into her tone and a smile to flash across her face.

Oliver squeezes her shoulder before getting up and heading over towards the Fishermen, she watches as the fishermen almost jerk up from what they're doing as Oliver nears them, she wonders if they're afraid. Afraid of the two strangers they found on an island. She would be.

The two men did seem nice enough though, giving them both blankets and making sure they both had plenty to drink. So she wasn't going to judge them if they were afraid, it's something to respect - being kind to who you fear. She hopes Anatoli paid them well.

"Qǐng wǒ kěyǐ jièyòng diànhuà, ràng wǒ hé wǒ de mèimei kěyǐ gěi wǒmen de mǔqīn dǎ diànhuà? [Please could I borrow a phone, so my Sister and I could phone our Mother?]"

The two seem happy to oblige, nodding as one hurries to grab their satellite phone. Oliver mutters his thanks and hurries back over to her, he sits down next to her and they both stare at the phone for a moment. The weight of what's about to happen finally hitting them.

"You ready for this Speedy?" And truthfully she doesn't know, is she ready to go home? See her Mom and Tommy and get to be with them again. Her emotions were at war inside of her, anxiety, excitement, trepidation all rolled into one.

She knows she wants to but the fears still there, the fear they won't be able to reconcile the image of the girl they have with the person she is now.

Looking at her Brother she knows the same war is going on inside of him, his face was blank but she had learnt how to read people years ago. His hands were clenched and trembling slightly.

She knows he had refused to return home once because of the fear he had of the darkness inside of him and because he refused to return without her.

She was glad he was returning home now.

Even if it was more so for her and their Father than for his own sake.

His hands were shaking, she notices, as he dials the number into the phone. Anatoli had checked for them before they'd left and Thea had memorised it off by heart - she remembers how Olive froze as Anatoli recounted the number and how he'd softly murmured to neither of them in particular that the number hadn't changed.

As the dial tone begins and the sound of the phone ringing fills their anxious silence Thea feels the fear surge forwards again.

What if she didn't believe them? Didn't want them? Couldn't accept who they had become? The thoughts swirl inside of her head as the anxiety grows, for all of her bravado and brave words she's still afraid. A fact Slade would taunt her about if he was here with them, in five years she'd never learnt how to not be afraid - only to control and use that fear instead of letting it rule her.

But that skill isn't serving her well now as the silence grows and only the sound of the waves and the dialling of the phone fills it.

Oliver places the phone in between them both so that she could hear too, please pick up is what she repeats over and over again in her head as she silently wills her Mother to pick up. Wills her to not ignore the phone and answer it, she needs to hear her voice. She needs some kind of confirmation that this is real, that she's going home.

That they both are.

"Hello?" A voice rings out, distorted and hard to hear over the sound of the waves around them but Thea hears it all the same. She gasps and feels herself grab her brother's arm, digging her fingers into his skin as she looks at him with a joyful expression.

It's their Mom.

"Hello?" She asks again, her tone bordering on one of annoyance and it's with a start that Thea realises she remembers it. She remembers hearing that same tone when her Mother would tell Oliver off for his drunken escapades and tell her off for whatever trouble she'd pulled at school that day. "Who is this?"

"Mom...it's Oliver.." He begins and Thea stares at the expression on his face, his stoic mask is fraying at the edges as his chin trembles and voice wavers.

He's on the verge of tears, just like her and it's a reassuring thought. He's just as emotional about it as her. They can both hear the barely suppressed sob ring out over the speaker, followed by a choked strangled sound. The voice that follows it is harder but there are tears underneath it. "My son has been dead for five years, he died with his Father and sister...please don't call this number again-"

"Mom!" Thea cries out, breaking her stunned silence as her voice trembles. She can't hang up on them, she can't. "It's me...it's Thea...it's us I promise...please don't hang up! When I was eight I fell off a horse and broke my arm, I always used to beg you to buy the monkeys at the zoo and when I was six I made you a paper mache doll for your birthday and you displayed it for all your friends when they came round." She pauses as she tries to think of other stories, stories she hadn't thought of or spoken about in years but that had come flooding back at the sound of her Mother's voice.

"Mom...I swear...we're both alive...please just listen to my voice..our voices...it's us." Her brother pleads between tears as Thea closes her eyes, silently begging whatever or whoever is out there to stop their Mother hanging up on them. "We didn't die on the Gambit...I'm alive...and we're okay and we're coming home...we're coming back. Just please don't leave us."

"Please don't go," Thea adds with a sob.

"T-Thea...Oliver.." Their Mom breathes out, sounding as if she was on the verge of tears, "Is that really you?" She asks with a hopeful note and Thea knows that is must be as hard for her as them to let the hope set in.

"It's us. Really and truly it's us, please don't hang up!" Thea swears desperately, she couldn't let their Mom go without talking to her, they had had to wait five years to just hear her voice again and she doesn't want her to leave them now.

A sob echoes through the phone, followed by another and that's all it takes before they're all crying. Her Mother's voice comes in through the speaker and Thea strains to hear it over the sound of the waves and interference, "No. No I'd never, I'm not going anywhere. Oh my beautiful boy, my sweet girl...I never thought, I'd hoped-" She cuts herself off and Thea wishes that her Mother was standing in front of them. "I-Is your Father with you? Did he make it too?"

Thea looks at Oliver with an agonised expression and a silence stretches out between them, she doesn't know what to say to that. Do they tell her what happened or just confirm the truth.

It seems their silence is enough because she breaks down into a fresh set of sobs again and Oliver moves the phone closer to his mouth so he can be the one to soothe her. "I'm sorry Mom, he didn't make it off of the Gambit." Thea thinks of the grave made of stones, thinks of the gunshots and her own cries and nods at Oliver. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is lie.

A choked gasp accompanies the admission. "Oh, sweethearts. I can't imagine what the pair of you have been through, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." More sobs follow and Thea feels her cheeks are wet and tastes salt on her lips, she realises she's crying too.

"Where are you?" Their Mother asks finally.

Oliver answers then, "Off of the coast of Hong Kong, a fishing boat picked us up. We got lucky." He wraps his arm around Thea and rubs circles into her back in an attempt to comfort her.

"We're not sure other than that but we're coming home Mom. I swear." Thea adds with a sniffle, "I love you."

"We'll see you soon! I promise." Oliver says into the phone adding onto what she said, his voice starting to steady but the teartracks still stain his face. White streaks through the dirt caked onto his face. "I'll phone you once we're at the embassy, I swear as soon as we get there I'll do it. We're coming back home Mom."

"We promise!" Thea chimes in, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Okay," Her Mother murmurs and Thea can tell she doesn't want to end it. She doesn't want to say goodbye to the children she's just gotten back but Thea knows the fishermen will be wanting their phones back and she needs a moment to steady herself because her Mother's voice has shattered the resolve that she thought she had. "I'll see you soon Oliver, Thea...I'll see you soon."

"We know," Thea replies softly, "We love you too."

"I love you both!" Is her Mother's parting phrase. The line goes dead and Oliver reluctantly hands over the phone to the fisherman waiting nearby, the man had been hovering the whole time and Thea glares at him slightly, giving it bad with a choked mutter of thanks. She lets him pull her closer, the tears are still running down both of their faces and the fishermen are eyeing them from a distance - likely wondering who exactly their two strange island dwellers are but she doesn't care about them.

Hearing her Mother's voice means it's suddenly all real, they're going home and they're going to see her again. Going to see everyone they left behind again. And they're going to finally carry out their Father's wishes.

Oliver would get to fulfil his mission and she would get to do hers.

They were both on a mission to carry out their Father's wishes but Thea's was different, her Father's video message - his message to her asked her to do something other than right his wrongs. And atone for his sins. He asked her to look out for her brother too and that is exactly what she's planning on doing because Anatoli was right - the deal with the Hood could only go on for so long and eventually something was going to break.

She's just going to make sure she's there when it does.

Her brother is going to save the city and she's going to save him from himself, she owes him that much.

She's going home.

She and Ollie.

They're finally going home.

**.**

The Glades late at night is a scary place, often described as terrifying and downright dangerous by the elite of Starling City, Thomas Merlyn isn't one of them. He's sat in the Rebecca Merlyn Memorial Clinic, where he now spends most of his nights - a fact he's sure would have appalled the younger version of him, staring down a pile of paperwork that has grown at what is, quite frankly, an alarming rate. He's not having the best of nights, a terrible one really.

Not that any of his nights have been good recently, most of them have been spent arguing with the various drug suppliers in the State. Another supplier has dropped out, alongside yet another sponsor. Recently the Glades has lost its PR Appeal, with the constant crime waves and it's becoming too dangerous of a place for drugs to be delivered. Even the legal kind were being held up. His last delivery was met with a group of armed thugs, who'd decided to threaten to kill the delivery drivers over two crates of birth control and some ultrasound equipment. And before that the windows of the clinic were smashed in because they'd patched up the wrong person in the midst of yet another gang war.

The Glades is going to shit.

The place his Mother had died trying to save, died loving, is going to hell and he's powerless to stop it.

He hears shouting outside, bottles being thrown and voices somewhere in the distance - the Glades version of a birdsong. Just another confirmation of the state of the city. A year ago and the sound of shouting and sirens would have filled it but now even the police are too scared to do anything, don't see the point in sending in their officers to the Glades. The proverbial shithole of the city in their eyes. Not worth a dime or their time.

The Glades is rotting and being left to self destruct and he's running out of things he can do. Medicine and treatment can only go so far without supplies and his money can only do so much.

He pinches the bridge of his nose as he feels yet another headache coming on, he's not qualified for any of this but he cares and he has a trust fund so it's almost enough. It's the best they've got anyways.

And he wants to do it, he wants to help the people in the Glades.

He owes the clinic his life, he owes some of the people of the Glades his life and even if some people will only ever see him as the rich playboy son of Malcolm Merlyn who went on a spiral a few years ago, he's still Rebecca Merlyn's son. And so he refuses to sit back and do nothing. His Mother would have wanted him to do something and she's the only parent who's wishes he actually cares about. His Father can go to hell for all he cares.

It's his Mother's wish to save the Glades that keeps him going, keeps him trying. And it's that refusal to do nothing which means his nights are often spent pouring over paperwork and using his Merlyn charm to try and actually keep the place open and running, instead of throwing back shots and finding himself in a random woman's pants like he would have done a few years ago.

He still wakes up nursing a headache and with aching muscles, it just has a different cause now.

He thinks it's better this way, there's only one woman he has eyes for anymore anyways.

And it's not like she'll be looking at him that way anytime, they've built a friendship but it'll never be more than it was.

Maybe one day it will be.

If she can forgive him that is.

The buzzing of his phone jerks him out of his thoughts and he forces back a tired sigh as he answers it, injecting as much enthusiasm into it as he can muster. "Hello! Thomas Merlyn-" And a trembling voice cuts off his usual greeting.

"Thomas-" It's Mrs Queen and instantly he's on alert, she sounds as if she's on the verge of tears and immediately he tenses up. Mrs Queen is a woman who rarely cries or lets herself lose it, perfectly poised and in control. She's the closest thing he has to a parental figure, barring Walter and he hates the trembling waver her voice is taking on as her name blares out of his phones speaker.

"Mrs Queen?" He question as he turns off his computer and scrambles to gather the things on his desk, his phone balanced on his shoulder and pressed against the side of his face.

"What's going on?" He asks when she doesn't reply, hating the panic surging through him.

"God Thomas-" She chokes back a sob and it's like she didn't even hear the question, "Are you near a television right now?" His brow creases as he tries to work out where she's going with this and he gets up to check the beaten old one in the waiting area.

"Mrs Queen is everything okay? Is Walter-" Sometimes news would break about Mrs Queen and her husband before he could find out but she's never rung him before. Never tried to give him a heads up. His hands are shaking as Mrs Queens' sobbing builds and his unease grows. News about the company has never reduced her to tears before.

Only news about her family shakes her to her core like this and the only times he's heard her cry is when the Gambit sank and when he ended up in hospital two years ago. He hopes that nothing like that has happened again, that Walter's okay because he fears that the Queen matriarch won't be able to survive another tragedy.

And truthfully he won't be able to either, Walter Steele is a good man and he hopes nothing has happened to the man.

"It's not Walter." Moira murmurs and Tommy wishes she'd just tell him what's going on. "Tommy, it's Oliver and Thea-" Those words send him on a spiral as the the possibilities flash through his mind, they're dead and their bodies have been found, they're alive and they've been found, only one of them has been found.

He hopes, prays that it's good news.

He can't lose them.

"They're alive." She finally says and the revelation sends Tommy into a sobbing mess himself as his world turns on it's axis.

Oliver and Thea are alive, his surrogate siblings are alive and they're coming home.

They're finally coming home.

He's finally getting them back.


	2. Breaking News

**'! Breaking News !'**

_The Queen siblings are alive! Oliver and Thea Queen were found on a deserted, uncharted island in the middle of the North China Sea. Reportedly found by fishermen who were fishing near the island the siblings were on. The Queen siblings, known for being the heirs to the Queen fortune and business empire and for Oliver Queen's tabloid fame, were recovered by the American Embassy yesterday and are thought to have arrived in Starling City late last night. As of now Moira Queen has yet to comment but a spokesperson for Queen Consolidated has stated that the Queen family asks for privacy at this emotional time but states that they are overjoyed at the safe return of the pair. Tragically the death of Billionaire Robert Queen has been confirmed and it is believed he perished on the Gambit. There is yet to be a comment on Sara Lance's state as this time but sources close to Starling General and the Queen family are reporting that she did not return with the pair. More news to follow when we know more, stay tuned for further details._

.

"You are aware you have extensive scar tissue? Broken bones that have never been afforded the opportunity to heal properly and the scars on your back-" He trails off as he eyes his clipboard again. As if he can't bear to look her in the eyes as he discusses them. "They're quite concerning to say the least. And the burns-"

"I'm aware of what's happened to me Doctor Lamb." She says with a thin smile, feeling tense as the constant questioning goes on. As the Doctors all tread the line between commenting about what they see and asking her about it, she knows they have questions but she doesn't plan on or want to answer them anytime soon. "Thank you."

He nods stiffly, "I'm sure." Hesitantly he continues, "There are options available to you and I don't mean to put you on the spot here Miss Queen, but there are people you can talk to. Medications you can take, there's no shame in getting hel-"

"I'm fine, thank you Doctor Lamb." She cuts him off curtly and ignores the way he tenses slightly, he squares his jaw and the tension is beginning to show on the lines of his face.

"I'd really recommend treatment, there's some great psychiatrists-"

"Really, I'm fine. I just want to see my brother."

"Very well then, Miss Queen." He nods at her reluctantly and moves to leave the room, "We'll be moving you to a room with your brother shortly."

**.**

Moira Queen sits in the hospital corridors anxiously, not that she's showing it. As usual she's put together and barring the anxious crease of her forehead and the restless way her polished heel taps against the floor there's no sign of the war raging inside of her head. She hates the familiar anxiousness she feels as she's sat in Starling General, only two years ago she was sitting in the same room waiting anxiously for news about her surrogate son. And she feels the same unease settling in her chest as she waits. Only that time the person she was waiting for was on the brink of death. She supposes at least this time it's good news, this time her children are alive.

Her children are home, after five years they've finally returned home.

And now she has to keep them safe, keep them out of harm's way. She knows Malcolm will be approaching her soon, no doubt scared of the chance her Husband decided to lay out his sins to their children on his deathbed - she's sure he'll know that Robert didn't make it by now, the news will have broken for all of Starling City to see and she's already received numerous texts from the Queen Consolidated PR department about interviews and statements.

The press and nosy inhabitants of Starling City she can deal with however Malcolm Merlyn is on a completely different level. He's a threat she's going to have to watch and manage, she refuses to lose her children to him again.

She doesn't care what she has to do to keep them safe from his grasp, she's not going to let them be taken away again. The day the Gambit sunk was the worst day of her life, she didn't know until it was too late - until the ship had set sail and an associate of Malcolm's had informed her that the ship had gone down. Malcolm thought it would be a kindness to tell her that fact before the news broke, a twisted act she knows he'll have thought was mercy - she remembers screaming and wishing she'd gone down with them, she prayed and screamed and cried and cursed Robert and Malcolm and the Universe itself.

Because her children were dead, her husband was dead and there was nothing she could do to save them.

But now it's different, now they're home and safe even if Robert isn't. A traitorous part of her is relieved about that, she's grown to love Walter and if Robert really is dead then the small sense of guilt she feels in the back of her head whenever she kisses him will go away. Hopefully at least. She turns her wedding ring around on her finger at the thought, the repetitive movement doing little to help calm her nerves.

She just wants to see her children.

"Mrs Queen?" A voice calls and she's relieved to see Doctor Lamb's head peeking through the doorway. "I can take you to them now."

**.**

Thea Queen stares out of the hospital room window, staring down at the twinkling lights of Starling City below - it is a stark contrast to the wild landscape of Lian Yu or the cold landscape of Russia and from a distance it all looks beautiful. It looks like any other city with bright lights and a busy landscape. But Thea knows the truth. Starling City's rotting, rotting away from the inside and festering. Poison seeping out from the cities underbelly and destroying it, infecting and ruining any good parts that the city may have. Destroying the city her Father had loved, the city she and her brother were born in and the city their Father had used his final words to ask them to protect.

Asking them to help the city he failed.

The city they had spent five years trying to get back to. Together. Truthfully she doesn't really recognise Starling City, there isn't a jolt of heartwarming familiarity or a sense deep inside of her that tells her she's home. But she still wants to protect it, help save the city because saving Starling City means saving her brother. If he does it alone then she's scared of what he'll do to himself, the burden he'll carry and the weight he'll place on himself - he's nothing if not a martyr.

She thinks about all they've been through as she watches the cars drive around the city and listens to the sound of horns honking, music blaring and people shouting. All they'd gone through to get back here. She's been beaten, kicked, shot, burnt, tortured, branded and almost killed. She's seen places that most people could only dream off or see in their worst nightmares and she's faced monsters and lived.

Which is why, as she stares out onto the city she startles at the fact she's afraid. She's afraid to step into the light and be Thea Queen again, be the girl who was paraded around at dinner parties and was the perfect doting daughter - she's afraid to be someone that people know rather than a ghost that can fade into the background.

And she's afraid that she won't be able to be Thea Queen for the people who matter most, her Mother and Tommy. She knows her Mom will want her daughter back but she's scared she isn't going to be able to give her that. It's too many emotions at once and it sends her mind crashing back to that night before the gambit, when that same tearing sensation drove her to her brother's room and into his arms for comfort.

She can't do that now though, she isn't a little kid anymore. She needs to be stronger than that, stronger for both of them.

She turns away from the window and eyes Oliver's still form, he's sat on the edge of the hospital bed - eyeing the door with unease. He's tense and ready for a fight, eyes occasionally scanning the room as if to double check for any new entrances or exits and his gaze lingers on the medical equipment in the room as if to weigh up which would be useful in a fight.

She knows because she's been doing it too.

The sound of Doctor Lamb's voice causes her to spin around and look over at her brother, if he's coming back then there's news. She waits and listens to what he's saying. "Fifteen percent of her body is covered in scars and twenty percent of his is, they both have numerous signs of fractures that were never able to heal properly and second and third degree burns. Mrs Queen the damage to their bodies is significant." Mrs Queen. She feels herself freeze before turning to Oliver with wide eyes. It's as she reaches out for him, to steady herself or for comfort she doesn't really know, that she realises that she's shaking. "I want you to prepare yourself as the children you lost may not be the ones you've found."

Mrs Queen.

Their mom.

They both stare at the doorway anxiously, gravitating towards it like a magnetic force is pulling them towards their Mother. Thea can see her brother restlessly tapping his foot against the ground as he silently wills the door to open and for their Mother to appear. She's slightly more hesitant though, her memories of her Mom are cloudy and muddled - bright with blurred edges and fuzzy faces. More feeling than fact. Like a dream she's never quite able to remember. What if her Mom doesn't recognise her? Doesn't want her? The what if's spun round and round in her head and she could practically hear Oliver's voice in her head chiding her for overthinking so but she can't help it.

She's shaking with excitement, fear and anticipation and she doesn't know which is going to win.

It's only when the door opens and a trembling voice calls out to them both she can bring herself into the present and out of her own head. "O-Oliver, Thea..." She takes them in, Thea can feel her taking in every detail and practically absorbing the image of them in front of her. As if the moment she looks away it'll fade like a dream. She lets out a choked sob and pulls her two children towards her, embracing them tightly and holding to them like she'll never let go. Thea doesn't blame her, she's doing the same thing. "My sweet sweet boy, my baby girl-" She lets out another choked sob and strokes their hair, Thea can feel Oliver's body trembling beside her and their Mother's body shaking against her chest.

"Mom," Thea finally cries and the flood gates open. Words come hurtling out of her mouth and she tries to fit them in between the choked cries and sobs, "I'm so sorry...so sorry. Mom, god, if I'd known I swear I wouldn't have gone. I'm sorry. I didn't want to- didn't mean to leave you." She sobs as all the feelings she had ignored and pushed down for years were ignited, the barriers were open and Thea was feeling very much like the little girl crying for her Mother all those years ago.

Her Mother looks the same, a clear version of the image she's held in her head - older and with more lines on her face than Thea remembered but her eyes were the same. She eyes her own reflection in the mirror behind them and wonders what her Mother sees when she looks at the young woman in her arms, the young woman that was a little girl the last time she saw her. Because she's not the slightly chubby twelve year old with pigtails anymore, she's filled out and the chubbiness has been replaced with muscle and hard edges. The warm innocent eyes of her youth had been replaced with colder ones and her once long styled hair was short - having been hastily hacked at with a knife in a dark alley one night in a desperate attempt to change her appearance enough to avoid the long arm of ARGUS.

She wonders if her Mother is comparing her to the image in her head as well.

She wonders if her Mother ever forgot what her face looked like too.

She had forced herself to forget and after a couple of years it had been easy, easier to focus on surviving and finding her brother and living instead of focusing on the people she'd lost. The memories had become hazy and fuzzy and it hurt to try and remember them. So she'd let herself forget, made herself forget and when she faltered Slade and Shado had been there to help - to help her push it all down again. Oliver always tried to make her remember.

But now she's being embraced, being held in the arms of her Mother whilst her brother cries silently beside her as sobs wrack their Mother's frame. As Thea burrows into her Mother, burrows into the figure she'd missed and thought she'd never see again Thea finds herself whispering an admission that she's always been too scared to make out loud.

"I missed you too, Mom."

**.**

Oliver resists the urge to pace the hospital room he and Thea are being housed in, he doesn't like sitting around and doing nothing - being forced to wait for things to happen. Not when it's like this. He can wait for targets, stalk when he has to but now, stuck in a hospital room in the dead of night - all of the energy surging inside of him is keeping him on edge. Keeping his mind and body active when really he should try to sleep, not that sleep has ever come easy for him - not since Lian Yu, but he can't. He can hear the nurses walking up and down the halls, hear the hacking coughs of the patient in the next room and hear the constant beeping of the machines in their room and the buzzing of the fluorescent lights above them. Never mind the fact that the room is too cold and sterile and it sets his nerves on edge as he thinks back to ARGUS Hospital rooms and the fact that every so often a nurse will look in through the window and scurry away as soon as he sets eyes on them - he's too exposed and trapped and there's nothing for him to do but analyse and wait for something to attack them.

He has nothing to do but think; he thinks about his Mom, Tommy and Laurel. He thinks about his Father and Sara, the two people who deserved to come home but didn't because of him. He thinks of Shado and Slade. He thinks of all the people who died and sacrificed themselves to get him where he is now and he thinks of his little sister - who's back where she should have been all along. Where she hadn't been because of him, because of the decisions he made all those years ago.

He's the reason she got onto the Gambit, he's the reason she spent five years suffering through the worst kind of hell.

He tried to protect her but it didn't always work.

Especially after the island.

Hong Kong just brought chaos, chaos and bodies and blood whilst Russia turned him into something far too similar to the monsters they'd feared on the island and he wishes he could take it all back. Take them back and never get on the boat, let Thea live out her ordinary teenage life. Instead her teenage years had been spent running and hiding and fighting to survive.

They were constantly fighting to survive, trying not to die as everything around them tried to kill them.

And he knows he doesn't know all of it, just like she doesn't know everything that he'd been through.

Because as open he and Thea are with each other, there's still distance between them - things that go unasked and unanswered and questions about the other they are both too afraid to ask. There's a year of distance between them, almost two years of isolation from the other that helped forge them into the weapons they are now - most of the time it isn't obvious and he can almost forget it happened but then in the dead of night his mind wanders and he's left to fill in the blanks. So it's no wonder that his mind decides to wander to that dark time now.

Hong Kong tore them apart, each disappearing amongst the chaos. She still won't tell him where she was or what happened and he tries not to push, but he still wonders - still wants to know what happened to her that year that she won't even tell him about. He fled to Russia with Akio and she didn't turn up for a year. No word about who she was with or where she had went.

Tonight is one of those nights, where he lets himself try to fill in the gaps, as he eyes up the sleeping form of his sister in her hospital bed. She's sleeping more soundly than he's ever seen her and she looks so young.

Though she's always been young.

The whole time she's been a kid. She's always been his kid sister but that's been an easy fact to forget - something he could force himself to ignore but the way she's curled up on the bed makes her look her age and brings that fact crashing to the forefront of his mind.

They've faced horrors no one should ever have to and she'd had to endure five years of it before she was even eighteen. She still wasn't eighteen.

Oliver frowns at the thought, out of the two of them Thea seems to hold the most light - sarcastic retorts and teasing remarks but he knows it isn't as simple as her being the light to his darkness or her being the innocent one. She's far from that and he curses the world for making her that way, her sarcasm and bravado hides her sharp broken edges, jagged and ready to cut anyone who gets too close. The past five years have turned her into a killer. Ruined her like it had ruined him. Blood staining her hands in a way that can ever be washed away, staying under her skin and staining her soul. Blood that can never be scrubbed clean no matter how hard you try. Those experiences stay with you, will stay with them and he wishes it wasn't so.

And those experiences are written on her skin and he can make it out in the harsh hospital light, the past five years etched onto her permanently.

Much to what he assumes will be her unease and annoyance the hospital gown doesn't hide as much as it should, the back is open and for the first time in a long time he can see the years he lost mapped out on her skin. Usually they're hidden behind layers of clothing but now they're plain to see. It shouldn't surprise him, he's littered in scars that tell his own story and during those first two years they both earned their fair share of them but the ones on her back are different. They aren't from the island, her brief time in Hong Kong or Russia, they're from something else entirely. Somewhere else.

Some he knows. There's one from before the Gambit that sits just at her temple from an indoor game of dodge ball between siblings that had went wrong and resulted in a priceless vase coming crashing down onto her head. Others from the island, bullet wounds, cuts and burns all earned during those first two hellish years. An animal bite from a hunt gone wrong. Some smaller ones courtesy of training sessions with Slade, he has a few of those as well, white lines that have almost faded into nothing. But others stand out against her skin.

He catalogues the scars and lets his brain fill in the gaps: There's one on the palm of her hand, dissecting it smoothly from the base of her middle finger to the fleshy part of her thumb, a large angry burn that just seems as fresh now as it must have back then - he looks at the fresh burns and frowns at the fact they'll likely scar too, an array of slithering silver lines that shine against the hospital lights - his mind whispers _flogging_ to him as he remembers his own scars, a thin white line tracing across her larynx followed by more cuts and burns dotted around her body.

Truthfully she's the one who wanted them to step out into the light despite everything because she, somehow, remains the same person. He feels like he's being torn in half between the monster he's scared is lurking under his skin, the hood and Oliver Queen. And as much as he hates the dark and twisted part of him that kills and who tortured men he's still not so sure about being Oliver Queen again. Oliver Queen is a public figure, someone who's face is known by most of the city. Whether it's because of his drunken exploits before the island, his Father's business empire or because of the sinking of the Gambit - he doesn't doubt that once he steps out of the hospital his face will be all over the tabloids once again.

He doesn't know if he can be that person again.

If he even wants to.

He doesn't know if he's ready, he's glad to be back - seeing their Mother again made him realise that but he's also afraid in a way he hasn't been before. The fear of hurting the people you love, fear the people close to you will see you for the monster you are is a raw and different type of fear to the one he's used to - he's learnt to use fear to keep himself sharp and alive but this kind of fear is different to fearing for your life. This is being scared of yourself and what you'll do to the people you love rather than of dying or someone hurting them.

It's raw and he's trying to ignore it as his mind spirals.

He doesn't know what to do about it.

He shifts in the seat uncomfortably, fingers tapping out a steady rhythm as the fingers of his other hand stretch out for his bow. It's an ingrained habit, his bow steadies and reassures him and he feels naked without it. Like a part of him is missing and he could really do with his bow to steady his thoughts right now.

Thea stirs and it helps jerk him out of his thoughts as he leans forwards in his chair before relaxing minutely as darkness claims her again. He knows he should rest but he's too wired, he keeps hearing the sound of nurses in the corridors and the constant presence of nurses and carers has him on edge. Sighing he leans back in the chair, it's plush and with a padded back - more luxurious than the plastic chairs the other wards are given, murmuring to his sister softly.

"First watch is on me, Speedy."

**.**

Most of Thea's morning was spent being poked and prodded by various Doctors, Oliver punched two of them and she threatened to slit one of their throats with a scalpel when they got too close - she had regretted it afterwards but the constant touching and constant presence of people, people she didn't know and therefore had no reason to trust kept touching her and asking her questions and it was overwhelming. The over stimulation making her feel sick and tense and on edge.

She keeps getting asked the same questions again and again, dodging the ones too tricky to answer without a lie and outright refusing to answer the ones she feels are too personal. Oliver looks just as frustrated as her as they watch the latest in a long line of nurses leave the room, she practically collapses against him in relief when Doctor Lamb walks in.

The man tended to her when she was a little kid and saw to both her and Oliver as they grew up. She trusts him more than the other Doctors and nurses but she still feels uncomfortable as his gaze lingers where her scars are and on Oliver's tattoo.

She clears her throat and the man turns his attention to them. She's told that their Mother will be taking them home as soon as they're discharged, there's also a promise of a bag of clothes for her so that she can leave the hospital wearing something other than a hospital issued gown. Apparently Oliver's going to be gifted some of Tommy's old clothes.

"And our things?" Oliver asks when the man doesn't mention it, "What's happening with the trunk?"

Doctor Lamb frowns for a moment as he looks through the notes on his clipboard before nodding slowly, "Don't worry. It'll be returned to you when you leave, it appears that someone from customs had to come and check through it-" Noticing her alarmed and Oliver's irritated expression he hastens to add, "Everything has been cleared though. It'll all be returned to you."

She smiles when she hears that, that trunk contains all that remains of those they were with on the island. Their Father's notebook, his wedding ring, Slade's mask, Shado's Hozen and Yao Fei's hood and bow. She knows that Oliver has added in his own mementos, Akio's puzzle and Anatoli's shot glass. She knows he doesn't want to lose those either.

His posture relaxes minutely and Doctor Lamb nods at them with what she assumes is meant to be a reassuring expression. "Your Mother will be here shortly," He tells them before leaving the room again.

**.**

From the back entrance, one hidden away from prying eyes via carefully planted trees and a concrete overhang holding up the rest of the hospital above it, the two former castaways emerged. Stepping out into the sunlight of Starling City the morning after their return, their Mother walks alongside them as they're followed closely by the Hospital Security guards.

Thea eyes the area up carefully, she's grateful for the privacy as the idea of cameras flashing in her face and journalists asking intrusive questions about the worst five years of her life is not a welcome one. She stretches out slightly, she's been dressed in casual clothes - a loose blue sweater and black jeans, enjoying the feeling of the breeze on her face as she eyes up the skyscrapers in the distance.

It's nice, she's finally back in Starling City - for the first time since she sailed away that fateful night on the Gambit.

"Are you alright Thea?" She jerks her head to look over at her Mother who is eyeing her up with concern, Oliver simply looks amused and she glares at him before offering their Mother a placating smile.

"I'm fine, thanks." She shrugs, "Just taking it all in I guess." When that doesn't seem to please her Thea continues, "I'm just glad to be home."

Her Mother smiles softly at that, "And I'm so glad you're here."

Oliver smiles at the moment before clearing his throat and jerking his head towards a polished black limousine that's coming around the corner. He hesitates as the car pulls up and one of the security guards makes a move for the case he's been carrying. "I've got it thanks."

She chuckles as he sidesteps the confused guard and heads towards the trunk, looking at the man expectantly as he waits for him to open it. The man does and Oliver shoots him a smirk reminiscent of the Oliver Starling City remembers, the playboy, as he puts the trunk in the back.

Their Mom shoots her a bemused look and Thea decides to reply for her brother, "Just a few trinkets. Mementos. Some things from the island we wanted to keep. Customs cleared them all, don't worry." She smiles and nods towards where the car door is being held open.

Moira seems to regain some of her composure as she nods at the man and shoots him a smile as she gets into the car. Thea and Oliver follow close behind, getting into the cushioned leather seats of the limousine and getting ready to leave Starling City General behind.

**.**

"Is there something you want to tell us?"

Thea finally questions after growing tired of watching her Mother, she's been watching her since they got into the car and the way the woman's foot keeps tapping anxiously against the other and the way her face keeps scrunching up uneasily is setting her on edge. They've been in the car for about ten minutes and her Mother's anxiousness is making her nervous.

Oliver shuffles closer to her and she watches as he scrutinises their Mother for a second, looking to see what she's missed and she watches as his expression clouds over as if he's noticed something he doesn't like. "And does it have anything to do with the ring around your finger?"

Their Mother frowns for a second before her gaze falls upon her ring and Thea tries to work out what Ollie's noticed about it. He must sense her confusion because he turns to her and elaborates, "Different band. Before her ring matched Dads." She thinks about the ring in their chest, pried off of his cold dead hands.

"Oh." She murmurs as she looks at it and compares it to the image of her Father's ring that she holds in her head, she leans against the leather of the car as the weight of that realisation sinks in. A different ring, a different man.

Their Mother nods to herself as if admitting defeat.

She opens her mouth as if to talk before hesitating slightly, her tone bordering on anxious. "Well," Thea leans closer to her Mother, trying to let the woman go at her own pace but the humming and harring isn't helping the anxiety she already feels building up inside of her. "After your Father died. After we all thought the pair of you had died, I had a hard time. I'd lost everything and it was a rather hellish time-" Her Mother quickly adds, "Though nothing like what happened to you I'm sure. Your Father's former CFO and best friend, your Godfather Thea - was there for me and supported me during that time."

She makes sure to look at Oliver for the next part, she realises he's been noticeably silent and unresponsive throughout their Mother's impromptu speech. "I don't want you to think I did anything to dishonour your Father because I didn't. I felt terrible and hated myself for it, convinced myself it would be wrong to marry him but he and Tommy talked me round and he makes me happy. I still love Robert and I always will but I love Walter too." She gives them a moment to absorb it, take it all in before softly tacking on. "We've been married for a few years now and I hope that you can accept that, even if it takes some time. All I ask is that you give Walter a chance, he's a good man."

Oliver nods though his expression is pained and Thea can sense his reluctance, memories of the man who'd escort him to his Father's office and sneak him grape soda crashing to the forefront of his mind. The man who was a regular fixture at dinner and whom he had considered an Uncle. He's stuck between a sense of loyalty to his Father and love for his Mother. Logically, from the foggy memories and from his brief time in Starling City years before, he knows that Walter is a good man. He made her Mother happy then, something she'd needed but that doesn't mean he's okay with the idea of a Step-Father.

Whilst Thea sits in a pensive silence, she doesn't really remember Walter but she wants her Mom to be happy. She knows that the past five years would have been hell for their Mother, that she must have been so sad and lonely. If Walter makes her happy then Thea can accept that, she just needs to take some time to get used to the man before she does anything more than that. Maybe she'll even bring herself to like him, her Mother certainly seems to.

She looks over at Oliver, wanting an indication of his response - she knows he'll know the man more than her. His memories of Starling City have always been clearer and sharper and so she decides that she'll trust his judgement on the man - whatever it may be.

"Okay, Mom." Oliver says finally with a soft smile in her direction. He's still tense and his brow is still furrowed but he's trying and Thea reaches over to squeeze his arm in a silent show of support for the effort.

She echoes her brother's words and their Mother almost collapses with relief, smiling at her children and murmuring soft assurances about how Walter 'Really was a lovely man.'

The rest of the ride dissolves into small talk, their Mother catching them up on what they've missed. Company and celebrity news with a few pop culture references sprinkled in, she tunes it out and focuses on the landscape around her - watching the world through the car window.

Her Mother's voice fades into a comforting white-noise, filling in the background.

**.**

They roll up to the Queen Estate, she recognises the ornate gates and the wall that towers above everything else - all made to keep the paparazzi and any would be intruders out. The Queen Estate has more security than Fort Knox, though she doesn't think it'll stop her and Oliver's nightly escapades. If anything it'll just make them more interesting.

The driver presses a button and the gates swing open, welcoming them in with open arms.

The car rolls up towards the driveway, approaching the Mansion - that's always looked more like a castle in her eyes. The car keeps driving before coming to a halt at the doorway, a red carpet leading from the car to the gilded wooden doors of the mansion. Their Mother gestures for them to get out and Thea smiles, shuffling out of the car and nodding her thanks to the driver for holding the door out for her.

She stands at the entrance, knowing that once she opens those doors and goes through them that she'll officially be home.

Oliver goes to the back of the car and retrieves their trunk from the driver. Her brother uses a tad more force than necessary and she can see the man's adams apple bob nervously as he hands it over, shaking her head at him she slows her pace to allow him to catch up. She knows that she wants to walk in alongside him, see the Queen Mansion for the first time by his side. Walk into their childhood home, what was and is now their home, together.

"And of course Thomas will be anxious to see you both," Their Mother tells them as they walk towards the Mansion doors, "He had wanted to come to the Hospital last night but duty called and as much as he wanted to he couldn't leave everything behind," She lets out a small chuckle and Thea's surprised to see the expression on her Mother's face is one of pride.

"Duty?" She questions as she follows behind her Mother. It isn't a word she'd ever thought would be used in the same sentence as the name Tommy Merlyn. Women. Alcohol. A many others she's sure her Mother would rather die than utter aloud were the ones that would spring to mind followed by a million others before _duty._

Moira nods, "He's helping run the Rebecca Merlyn-" Thea winces at the mention of Tommy's Mother, feeling a newfound sense of empathy towards him as she's reminded he lost a parent too. And now she knows what that feels like. "-Memorial Clinic."

And Thea fails to hide her surprise whilst her brother frowns and asks again "Tommy?" Feeling the need to double check and the scepticism is written plainly on his face.

Their Mother just nods before sobering slightly, "The past five years weren't exactly easy for him, for either of us really, running that clinic has helped him in more ways than you can imagine. You two aren't the only ones who have changed. That clinic saved his life and now he's doing the same for others."

She tries to imagine the Tommy Merlyn in her head, the one living on in the stories of Oliver's playboy youth and all the times the duo had played with and looked after her, running a clinic. The part of her that struggles to reconcile the two images feels guilty but she can't help it, the Tommy Merlyn she knew wasn't like that.

And from Oliver's disbelieving expression it's clear he feels the same way. Although there's something else playing at his features, guilt? She wonders if there's something he knows, or at least thinks and makes a mental note to get it out of him later.

Probably during a sparring session.

Her Mother opens the doors and Thea freezes for a second, reaching out for her brother's hand - something she's to ready deny if he decides to comment on it and smiling gratefully as he accepts it with a reassuring squeeze. Once she regains her composure, once she knows she's ready she lets him lead her into the Mansion.

"Both of your rooms are exactly the same, I never had the heart to change them." She hears her Mother murmur but Thea isn't really paying attention to her.

The Queen Mansion looks the same as she remembered, even after five years - the same perfectly polished interior where every surface that can shines and where the air smells of marigolds and roses instead of dirt and blood. She can see the light filtering in through the windows, casting down their perfect shadows and how there isn't a spec of dust in sight. It's strange really because she knows it's the same and it looks familiar but it's all so perfect and polished and neat and it makes her feel wrong.

It's too nice.

She isn't used to that, she's used to the ground and battered mattresses and the old worn furniture of their small apartment in Russia.

Everything in the Queen Mansion looks how she'd imagined, looks how she remembers but it all feels wrong. The same ornate paintings decorate the walls, the same carpet is laying on the floor and the same curtains hang from their railings but there isn't anything that makes her feel at ease. Makes it feel like something other than decoration.

Logically she knows it isn't the home that's changed, she knows that it must be the same but it feels wrong. When she imagined, reminisced about it had always felt like a home - felt warm and inviting and right. A place she could imagine feeling safe inside of but now it just feels like everywhere else, somewhere where anyone could attack her at any moment - somewhere where she sticks out like a sore thumb and somewhere

But it isn't her home that's changed, she has. She's the one who's different.

She isn't the same little girl who left, that girl died when the Gambit sank and she's something else now.

She doesn't like how it's making her feel and her gaze darts anxiously over towards Oliver, she takes a step to make sure that she's close to him but he doesn't seem to notice. His mind and gaze is elsewhere as he looks around the Mansion, she watches as his mouth quirks up into a small rare smile whenever he sees something especially familiar - she wonders if he feels differently to her, if for him the Mansion feels like home.

His gaze turns sombre when it turns to the photos on the small table in front of them though and Thea feels herself craning to look at them too.

As soon as she does she wishes she hadn't.

Their Father's face smiles at them, a moment frozen in time - his arms are around the pair of them as the Queen's Gambit stands innocuously in the background. There's no reason for the people in the picture to feel anything but happiness, they're the perfect smiling family.

Oh how things changed for them, she muses.

It's then that their Mother clears her throat in order to gain their attention, the pair turn to face the figure now standing beside her. Oliver stands silently beside her, not reacting to the appearance of the new figure - Thea frowns as she looks between the two before their Mother breaks the awkward silence with an introduction.

"Oliver, Thea-" She smiles softly at them, Thea notes the hand she has placed on the mans arm. "You remember Walter? Walter Steele."

The man seems to take that as his cue.

He steps forwards with a warm smile and holds his hand out for them to shake, Thea reaches out and shakes it - making an effort to return the smile whilst Oliver stays where he is. "It's damned good to see the pair of you, truly I'm so glad that the both of you are home."

"Thanks Walter," She murmurs softly. "And I'm glad that my Mom found someone, I would have hated for her to have been alone." His eyebrows shoot up in surprise at that and their Mom offers him an apologetic smile. "She told us in the car, we're-" She emphasises the last word and places an arm around her brother meaningfully, "Happy for you both. Really."

"Yeah," Oliver mutters finally, shaking the hand. "It's good to see you again Walter."

Another figure enters from one of the side corridors and it's then Thea sees her brother's face light up. "Raisa!" He greets warmly, stepping away from Walter and their Mother and stepping towards the woman for a hug. She's older than Thea remembers but she still has the same kind face - the poor woman used to have to herd the pair of them around the house in an attempt to keep them out of trouble and was a permanent fixture at the Queen household. Really she practically raised them and she's happy that that part of the Queen Mansion hasn't changed. "It's really good to see you." He says earnestly and Raisa smiles at the sight.

"Welcome home Mister Oliver," She returns with an equal amount of warmth. Rubbing his back as he pulls her in for a hug and placing a hand on his cheek when they break apart. After a moment the woman sees her and Thea feels herself be pulled into the woman's clutches, "And welcome home Miss Thea." Raisa shakes her head fondly, though Thea sees the sad expression that flashes through her features. "How big you've grown."

She forces out a chuckle at that and nods, "Yeah..no more pigtails." No more of a lot of things really.

"A woman now." Raisa murmurs softly, sobering slightly. "I'm glad that you're home."

Their Mother is watching the exchange with an unreadable expression and Thea wonders if she's jealous. Or at least unhappy of the differences in their exchanges. Especially the differences between the greeting of Walter and Raisa. But Raisa was practically a third parent for them when they were younger whilst Walter was a man who sometimes joined them for dinner or entertained them at the company.

"Ah," She hears Moira call softly, a fond smile gracing her features "Better late than never I suppose." It's then she notices a figure approaching from the top of the stairwell - she frowns as she tries to work out who would be coming from there. As she tries to work out who it is that's missing.

It's only when the figure emerges into the light and a voice calls out to them, with a familiar charm, that she realises who the figure is. "What did I tell you! Yachts suck."

"Tommy?" Oliver questions, a wide grin appears on his face and he's moving towards the staircase in an instant, fast pace and with a wide stride as he crosses the room to get to his friend. His former best friend. A smile is playing at his lips and she feels a small surge of happiness at the sight - Oliver and Tommy had been inseparable, practically brothers and she's glad to see them reunited.

The confirmation of the figure's identity sends a strange mixture of feelings through her, he isn't the teenager she remembers. He's a man now. He even looks older, she isn't sure why she imagined him staying the same - she must look like a completely different person to him but it catches her off guard all the same.

Oliver and Tommy pull each other into an embrace as they meet at the bottom of the staircase, exchanging words that she can't make out as they pat each other on the back. Neither seems like they want to be the first to let go, the one to pull away from the other and she can see tears threatening to spill from the eyes of both men.

The pair finally break apart and Tommy turns to her expectantly, she grins and practically throws herself at him. He stumbles for a second, as if surprised by her size and the sheer force she hugged him with before he returned the hug with just as fierce a grip. He strokes her hair and she swears she can feel the tears falling from his cheeks and onto her shoulder.

"I missed you Tommy," She murmurs softly.

He chuckles and pulls away from her, shooting her a warm smile. "I missed you too Speedy." His voice takes on a teasing note at the end and the familiar nickname causes her to roll her eyes, the familiar name sending a mixture of warmth and annoyance through her.

"Five years Tommy," She returns with an equally teasing expression - the surge of familiarity enveloping her as she remembers how they'd bicker about the nickname whenever he came to the Mansion. "Worst nickname ever."

He holds up his hands, "You were the one always chasing after Oliver and I as a kid."

"Can't you just let me live it down?" She asks and it's then Oliver decides to join in.

"I don't know, I think it still applies." His teasing makes her smile, it's a light exchange and the kind that they haven't been able to do in a while. Maybe being home wasn't going to be so bad. "Always chasing around after me."

And she always will, even if it means chasing him around the globe.

Or chasing him around on his nightly crusade now that they're back home.

"It's still a terrible nickname." She defends weakly but they can both tell it's a half hearted retort at best.

She watches as Oliver and Tommy share a grin, her Mom is smiling and whispering softly to Walter in the background whilst Raisa watches with what look like tearful eyes from the edge of the hallway and Thea takes it all in. She smiles and let the feeling wash over her for a second, taking it all in and hoping that this is how it'll stay.

She knows it won't and she doesn't want to be an idiot but for now she'll enjoy the moment, enjoy being around her family again and ignore the doubt seeping into her chest.


End file.
